The Story of God

How to read the Bible? It has become common today that we need to learn to read the Bible in the context of the Bible’s unfolding, dramatic story. What story? The story of God’s ways with humans, the story of God’s way of ruling and humans preferring not to have God rule but to have human kings rule. But this story sets each passage in the Bible — from the flood narrative to Abraham and on to Esther or Ezra or to the prophets Jeremiah and Hosea and then up the mountain with Jesus and on to Rome with Paul and Peter. That’s the story, and that story locates us when we open up a passage in the Bible.

Some years back Katya Covrett, the fine editor at Zondervan, approached me at a conference and asked if I’d be interested in being an Editor of the Story of God Bible Commentary, and I said “By all means.” At the time we were thinking it would be on the TNIV but little did I know (I think Katya may have had some whiffs of change already) it would be the NIV 2011 when we finally sat down to start writing our commentaries.

Number three is now out, by my friend and excellent NT scholar and professor, John Byron, at Ashland Theological Seminary. John’s commentary is on 1 & 2 Thessalonians and it is a lucid, clear, and pastorally-helpful (and quite personal at times) commentary on Paul’s letters that are often known only for their eschatological passages. There’s so much more here and I commend John Byron’s commentary to you as one that will help you understand the Bible in its storied context, prepare for teaching Sunday School or set out important lines of interpretation for sermons.

The other two commentaries now available are Lynn Cohick on Philippians and my commentary on The Sermon on the Mount. I routinely hear from Bible readers about how the commentary is helping them. That’s why we write them!

Thanks again to Katya for the vision of this series.